


Right little know-it-all.

by Michaelssw0rd



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, harold being a cutie, i dunno what else to tag it, tie etiquette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 04:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9367808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michaelssw0rd/pseuds/Michaelssw0rd
Summary: John's wearing a four in hands knot, with a wide spread collar. Harold takes issue with that.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [talkingtothesky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingtothesky/gifts).



> Because sky said she wanted to hear John say these words to Harold. And this happened. It's quick and short and fluffy and I hope the image makes you smile Sky. And all of you readers too.

John entered the library, dressed to impress. They were going to a high end charity function in order to get eyes on a number, and John was Harold’s plus one. On his footsteps, Finch turned and gave him a long and lingering once over from the shoes to the face. Except his eyes never reached his face… they stopped somewhere around his neck, his face pinched in irritation.

He got up and came towards him, inquiring, “Mr. Reese, what the hell is that supposed to be?”

John looked down to where his boss’s eyes were burning holes, and shrugged in confusion, “A tie?”

“Calling that a tie is a blasphemy. I would not be seen in respectable company with something like that. Take it off,” he announced loudly.

John’s fingers were automatically at his neck, and even while he was unraveling the tie, he couldn’t help but complain. “I really don’t know what was wrong with it. It looked fine.”

“ _Fine_? What was…” Harold opened his mouth and gaped, and then closed it with a sigh, muttering, “What was wrong he asks.”

He held out his hand for the tie, making impatient tutting noises and tapping the floor, and John took the strip cloth off from his neck and dropped it in Harold’s palm.

“You are wearing a formal wear Mr. Reese. A wide spread collar, and you have tied a pitiful four in hand knot. You are going to give people 1970’s flashbacks.” Harold rubbed the tie fabric between his fingers and made a disgusted face, “were you planning to wear a _polyester_ tie to a gala?”

Finch looked at him in disappointment and turned around, throwing the tie on the table like it had a contagious disease. He then vanished from the sight for a while, coming back with a dark blue tie that definitely looked like it was a lot more expensive than what John had been wearing before. Silk probably.

“You keep a stash of your clothes in the library Finch?” John teased because he was standing like a statue, immensely enjoying how worked up Harold was getting over John’s choice of neckties.

“Apparently, with good reason.” Finch glared and John’s lips twitched a little bit more upwards. If he wasn’t careful he would start full on grinning soon.

“Blue?” He asked, just to needle finch.

“Yes blue. It’s the safest color to wear. Symbolizes power and stability.”

“But you are wearing gold. Does that make you royalty?”

“Well, it makes me look prestigious and wise… so it would probably be color a royalty would choose too,” he stated smugly.

“Alright.” John reached for the fabric in Harold’s hand, only to have the hand be snatched away.

“What do you think you are doing, Mr. Reese?”

“Making sure we reach the function sometime before the number leaves, Finch.”

“Are we already forgetting what an atrocious job you did before? No. Forget it. I am going to tie it for you. It would be more effective and efficient.” Harold nodded decisively. John did not even have the slightest inclination to protest so he just tilted his head in assent and waited.

Harold folded the tie in the center making a crease, telling John how it would create a dimple that would look a lot more professional on the final look, and then proceeded to tie a Full Windsor knot around John’s neck, looking up and biting his lower lip in concentration, as he explained that with wide collars, people wore a Windsor knot, and how a half Windsor would do too, but a full Windsor made everything look more professional and _really_ , why doesn’t John already know all this, he is a grown man? Reese knew he had an enormous grin on his face by now, and his eyes were soft, so soft, as he looked at Harold trying so hard to instill some better sartorial sense in his agent.

Finally, in less than a minute, Harold was stepping back, smoothing his hand down John’s chest on his tie and patting it twice, gently. He was looking down now, suddenly self-conscious. “There. Done. Much better. We can go now,” he said, and because they were still standing in each other’s personal space John could see how Harold’s ears were tinged red, and his cheeks were flushed as well.

“You are a right little know-it-all, aren’t you?” John couldn’t help saying, because he was impressed and amused, and so very much in love.

Harold looked startled for a second, and he jerked his head up to meet John’s eyes. Whatever he saw there, melted his affronted expressions into one of playful smugness.

“I suppose I have to be, when my partner is so inept at basic things like dressing himself up properly.”

“I suppose you do.” John joined in because playful, flirtatious Harold was his favorite, “I wonder if I am any good at taking them off either.”

Harold laughed; it was a tiny puff of air that barely lasted a fraction of a second but John felt like he had won at life, because Harold had laughed because of him. “I guess we will have to wait and see.”

“But if we wait any longer here, there might not be a point to going to the function anymore,” John commented, and then held out his elbow for Harold saying, “shall we?”

In reply, Harold linked their arms and started walking out. John couldn’t keep the tiny smile off his face all through the evening; because Harold was most definitely a right little know-it-all, but he also was _John’s_ right little know-it-all.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel kinda weird when I post such short drabbles/not-drabbles as a complete story omg. I wonder if i should make a chaptered story with all these tiny fic-lets. but they are going to be so disconnected then.  
> Well in the meanwhile, please let me know if you enjoyed it. Comments give me life.


End file.
